Occupying a strategic location in the heart of central Europe, Poland is a developing state whose progress calls for close observation. The most populous country in Central Europe and the sixth most populous in the European Union, Poland has been the exemplar for transitioning from communism to competitive democracy and a market economy. In the 1980s, Poland’s Solidarity movement challenged the state’s communist regime. The country became democratic, restructured its economy around a competitive market ethic in the 1990s, joined NATO in 1999, and officially acceded to the European Union in 2004. Although EU accession has certified Poland’s inclusion in the development of an integrated Europe, integration has yet to fully take root. In order to achieve this integration, Poland must now accomplish three key goals: adopt all EU policies and programs into its own government, take an active part in decision making regarding further EU expansion, and develop a strategy for a new economic perspective.

The first step towards significant integration into the European Union requires full adoption of EU law into Polish legislation and increased focus on the free flow of persons, agriculture, and fishery. The reformative stage of the Common Agricultural Policy requires legislative changes to Polish dairy and sugar markets, a task that Poland has emphasized must be financed by the European Union rather than by individual state coffers. Poland, commonly known as “the bread basket of Europe,” will also have to employ a European model of agriculture, which includes the use of organic farming and the agricultural development of rural areas. Poland’s focus will be set on the modernization of food processing plants as well as the implementation of sanitary and veterinary inspections and control. The full execution of inspections and control also applies to the fishing industry, with fleet management and maritime resource control systems receiving specific attention. In order to begin this transformation, Poland has not only made legislative adjustments, but it has also been intensively training its civil servants for the new national and local administrative duty requirements. Effective cooperation between the Polish government and the national parliament regarding Poland’s role and responsibilities within the European Union is clearly the country’s next major hurdle.

What is crucial after this point is Poland’s stance on the issues regarding the expansion of the European Union. EU expansion now involves accession negotiations with Romania and Bulgaria, conflict resolution over the issue of Cyprus, and Turkey’s progress towards meeting the political criteria as established at the 2002 Copenhagen Summit. In navigating these diplomatic waters, Poland must take a position that allows it to negotiate effectively with Turkey, while also providing it with the ability to focus primarily on accession negotiations with both Bulgaria and Romania. As the model of former-communist-state-turned-thriving-democracy, Poland is becoming a key player in shaping EU policy towards Eastern Europe. Poland’s advocacy on behalf of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) testifies to this: through the ENP, Poland has worked to develop a stable, secure, and prosperous eastern border with the European Union through the elimination of division lines and the provision of active assistance programs to the European Union’s eastern neighbors. This type of diplomacy is precisely what Poland brings to the table of the European Union and is what must be pursued to the fullest extent if Poland is to become a significant figure in European affairs.

Finally, Poland’s newest challenge is a financial one: Poland must somehow negotiate an optimal national contribution, which will take advantage of the best EU programs and projects so that Poland’s EU membership becomes an opportunity well taken. Poland must strike a successful compromise between regional, national, and EU interests; effectively administer the programs; and foster relations between business groups at all political levels. In regard to the new budget, Poland aims to create added value over and above the money paid into the European Union, with visible returns to the EU community as well as to Poland itself. If it is able to balance those two interests—those of the European Union and the interests of the Polish people—and satisfy both sides, Poland will have a permanent place in the future of Europe.

A sense of community among EU members has yet to emerge above the legislative and constitutional technicalities. But while controversies over the war in Iraq and the constitutional treaty have placed some states at odds with each other, Poland’s three paths for inclusion bear promising potential for its own integration into the European Union.